One Piece Shifts to Seasonal Format as Elbaf Arc Premieres This April

The One Piece anime has entered a new era. After more than two decades of continuous weekly broadcast, Toei Animation's flagship series is moving to a seasonal format with the Elbaf Island Arc, which premiered on Crunchyroll on April 5 and arrives on Netflix on April 11.

This is the most significant structural change in the anime's 26-year run, and it signals a shift in how one of the world's most-watched anime series will be produced going forward.

A Historic Format Shift

For the first time since the anime began airing in 1999, One Piece will follow a seasonal production schedule. The Elbaf Island Arc is capped at 26 episodes, split into two cours of 13 episodes each. New episodes air every Sunday on Crunchyroll, with Netflix following one week later on Saturdays.

The move to seasonal production is designed to improve animation quality and eliminate the pacing issues that plagued earlier arcs. With a maximum of 26 episodes planned for 2026, the series will have significantly more production time per episode compared to its traditional year-round schedule. This means fewer filler episodes, no padding, and consistently higher animation standards across every episode.

The shift mirrors what other long-running shonen franchises have done in recent years to maintain production quality. Bleach's Thousand-Year Blood War arc and Jujutsu Kaisen both benefited from seasonal production models that prioritized quality over quantity.

What Is the Elbaf Arc?

Elbaf is the legendary island of giants that has been teased since the Little Garden arc, over 800 episodes ago. The arc follows the Straw Hat crew as they finally set foot on the land that Usopp has dreamed of visiting since the series' early days. Episode 1156 marks the start of this long-awaited chapter, picking up directly after the Egghead arc's dramatic conclusion.

For manga readers, Elbaf represents one of the final saga's most anticipated locations, and its arrival in animated form is a milestone fans have waited more than two decades to see.

Streaming Availability

Crunchyroll holds simulcast rights globally, with episodes going live at 7:15 AM Pacific on Sundays. Netflix streams episodes one week behind in most regions, starting April 11. In India, Crunchyroll also offers the series with Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu options, and the Egghead Arc dubs in these languages launched on March 30 to help fans catch up.

What Comes Next

The Elbaf Island Arc's first cour runs through the spring season, with the second cour expected later in 2026. With Eiichiro Oda's manga now deep into its final saga, the anime team is positioning Elbaf as a premium experience. Fans who have waited over two decades to see this island animated will get the version the story deserves.